Heart-to-heart talk

Many may think I am a kaki bodek (flatterer), spending my time hobnobbing with Very Important Persons (VIPs). The truth is, I am relationship-driven. When I mention names, it is not to drop them casually, but because I believe credit should be given where it is due.

As I’ve written before, I am just an ordinary Joe on the street—except that I have built networks across all levels of society: ministers, senior government officers, janitors, and security guards alike.

In fact, I have often described myself in Malaysiakini in a single line: “STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.”

Some always remember me as a journalist. They think I am a journalist. In reality, I was never full-time in the profession. I pursued journalism part-time out of passion—to write, to highlight issues, and to push for improvements in our living environment.

How it All Began

My journey began in the early 1990s. Beside a neighbour’s shop, a heap of rubbish and a tree trunk had been left unattended for years. When I tried to lodge a complaint, I discovered the local DBKL officer had already gone home despite asking me to hold on the phone. When I called the second line, another officer told me, "Pak Haji dah pulang." (Pak Haji has gone home).  Furious, I picked up my newly-purchased SLR camera and documented the illegal dumps scattered across my housing estate. That was the start of my activism.

Soon after, Malay Mail editor Lee Boon Siew invited me to write for them, since I had already been stringing for the New Straits Times. With my prolific output, the income from part-time journalism helped me pay off part of my housing and car loans. Over the years, I have also managed to solve many issues of the people on the ground. People living in darkness suddenly had streetlights; mobile phone users can now call 999 instead of 112; insurance coverage for people undergoing radiotherapy; privileged titles turned into grant after a few years of campaign; flash floods no more for some; overhead bridges which never existed now run across the highway in Taman Connaught, saving the hassles of international students walking across the highway in the monsoon drain beneath the highway. 

At the same time, over the years, I met many ministers and senior officers, especially in agencies I cared deeply about—the Department of Environment (DOE) and the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). I interviewed Ir Tan Meng Leng when he was DOE Director-General, and built strong ties with Halimah Hassan, then Federal Territories director. Communication was often casual, even via SMS.

I was also known to many radio personalities as I focused on doing a series on practically everyone of them. 

My Network Expanded, of Course!

I also grew close to Syed Hidzam Osman, personal assistant to Tan Sri Ani Arope. Later, I met Tan Sri himself, contributed a chapter to his book, and we became good friends. I even made it a point to attend his funeral at the mosque in Bangsar, especially since we were frequently communicating via SMS. 

Zarina Ahmad Osman was personal assistant to Tan Sri Kamarulzaman Shariff, and like Syed Hidzam was a great problem solver, sparing DBKL from bad publicity. I can mention many more names of good -- and not so good people.

Alam Flora’s CEO, Siraj Abdul Razak was also a great guy who cares to go to the ground to see the actual condition unlike the current CEO who prefers not to provide his WhatsApp. Instead, any complaint has to go to his superior, Khalid Mohamed, CEO of SWCorp.

Ministers such as Lim Ah Lek, Fong Chan Onn, and Chua Jui Meng were among my favourites. Azmi Khalid, then deputy minister of housing and local government, impressed me more than his superior Ting Chew Pei—and I remain in touch with him today.

Of course, over the entire period since I became unhappy with former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad trying to topple Abdullah A. Badawi, it was too much for me to stomach. PaK Lah, as Abdullah was fondly known, was my favourite prime minister. In my younger days, as a delegate attending the Career Guidance Camp that year in 1980, I gave him a bear hug when I went on the stage to receive the certificate of participation. 

Because of what Mahathir did to Pak Lah, and our current Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim (when he was still in the Opposition), I started to openly support Anwar himself. To me, what Mahathir did to topple Pak Lah was despicable, and till today, I refer to him as that "despicable old fox," consistent with an article I wrote that expressed my support of his entry into Pakatan Harapan. I think most people feel he had betrayed the trust of the people, who gave him a chance to turn on a new leave. 

More Bridges Built

Over the next two decades, I cultivated many good relationships with mainly the Opposition leaders as I took pity of their positions. To me, “hobnobbing” was never in my vocabulary. I simply built bridges with good leaders, while keeping my distance from those I felt were not.

Unknown to many, I also developed good relationships with ministers in Barisan Nasional who have the people in their hearts. For example, Anifah Aman helped to bring home a Malaysian lady and her son, after the lower court in China banned her son from leaving the country following a divorce with a Chinese national. 

One thing about me: I never sought big contracts or easy money. I believe in earning with my own hands. That is why, when a friend asked me to connect him with a minister, I declined. But to solve his problem, I was happy to let then Works Minister, Fadillah Yusof to get CIDB staff to contact him directly. My contacts with senior officers have always been about improving the country, not personal gain.

Solving Issues

Many issues I raise may seem small, but they reflect deeper systemic rot. For example, the sudden implementation of one-way streets in my housing estate—approved years earlier without proper study—has created traffic chaos. When it was first implemented in 2013, the plan was reverted due to the mess it was creating. I find it amusing now that when I highlight it, some politicians dismiss it as a local matter, when the implementation is done by the local government under the care of the state government.

Even this garbage truck has to go against the traffic because it makes no sense to have a one-way street.There are better ways to solve the traffic congestion during peak hours. Read here

To them, a number of the issues I brought up were initially dismissed as local issue. Eventually, after several years of complaints, affected residents feel relieved following the repairs of two problematic humps.

These two humps had to be repaired TWICE and a sheer waste of public funds. Read here

But to me, these are the handiwork of “little Napoleons” over the past decade—building humps too high, then redoing them repeatedly. I created a blog to document such poor workmanship. Why my council, and not others like the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ)? Because the failures here were glaring.

I also highlighted injustices, such as security guards forced to stand 12-hour shifts without being allowed a chair for meals. No one stepped in, even though it was a simple matter. It revealed a system unwilling to protect basic dignity.

Out of frustration, I speak up. If politicians dislike me, so be it. I am simply voicing concerns for those who cannot.

If I were a flatterer seeking personal gain, I would not have “whacked” my council president. But I remain true to myself: when I give credit, it is deserved. When civil servants and political leaders ignore complaints and create more problems, I will work harder to ensure the voice of conscience prevails.

Otherwise, I am usually composed and if you know me, I strike a conversation with strangers easily and my friends would realise by now, that I, too can be fun to be with. Of course this photo was AI-generated, but can you guess which was me? The leprechaun, of course! 😜